What happens when you finally confront the thing that’s shaped your identity for decades?

In this episode of Mindful Paths, Nick Day and Hari Kalymnios explore what really unfolds when fear is no longer avoided but faced head on.

What began as Nick’s decision to overcome a lifelong arachnophobia turned into something far deeper — a powerful exploration of anxiety, childhood imprinting, vulnerability, and how the nervous system wires fear into identity. After 37 years of living with a phobia, Nick underwent an intensive exposure session that triggered not just a physical reaction, but an emotional release that challenged who he believed himself to be.

Together, Nick and Hari unpack why we’re only born with two innate fears, how early experiences shape our nervous system, and why modern anxiety may simply be an outdated survival mechanism running in the wrong environment. They explore cognitive dissonance, compassion, courage, and the uncomfortable truth that much of what we call “personality” may actually be conditioned fear.

This episode isn’t really about spiders.

It’s about identity, anxiety, and whether courage can be cultivated.

If you’ve ever felt limited by fear or wondered why your mind defaults to worry even when you’re safe, this conversation will give you a new perspective.

Nick Day’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/

Podcast Website: Mindful Paths Podcast: https://jgarecruitment.com/the-mindful-paths-podcast/

Transformational Coaching with Nick or Hari Enquiries: nick@t4mcoach.com

Hari Kalymnios on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harikalymnios

Hari Kalymnios Website: https://harikalymnios.com

(00:00) Preview

(00:40) Nick’s Lifelong Fear of Spiders

(04:14) What Fear Actually Feels Like in the Body

(08:37) The Decision to Confront It

(12:58) Where the Fear Really Began

(18:50) The Emotional Breakthrough

(22:07) Reframing Fear Through Compassion

(24:50) Handling the Spider for the First Time

(28:19) Cognitive Dissonance in Real Time

(33:19) Identity, Vulnerability & Men

(40:00) Why Modern Anxiety Feels Constant

(46:04) Are We Searching for Things to Worry About?

(57:20) Stress Stored in the Body

(01:01:03) What You Can Actually Control

(01:04:44) Facing the Worst-Case Scenario